CSU CLASS: TREES Trees are an important part of our world. They provide wood for building and pulp for making paper. They provide habitats (homes) for all sorts of insects, birds and other animals. Many types of fruits and nuts come from trees -- including apples, oranges, walnuts, pears and peaches. Even the sap of trees is useful as food for insects and for making maple syrup -- yum! Trees also help to keep our air clean and our ecosystems healthy. We breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. We're perfect partners! Trees do lots for us, our environment and other plants and animals in nature but we don't just love trees for practical reasons. Trees can also be very beautiful -- tall enough they seem to touch the sky and so big around you can't even hug them. TYPES OF TREES: There are two main types of trees: deciduous and evergreen. Deciduous trees lose all of their leaves for part of the year. In cold climates, this happens during the autumn so that the trees are bare throughout the winter. In hot and dry climates, deciduous trees usually lose their leaves during the dry season. Evergreen trees don't lose all of their leaves at the same time -- they always have some foliage. They do lose their leaves a little at a time with new ones growing in to replace the old but a healthy evergreen tree is never completely without leaves. PARTS OF A TREE
ROOTS The roots are the part of the tree that grows underground. Trees have a lot of roots -- the size of the root system is usually as big as the part of the tree above the ground. This is necessary because the roots help support the tree. It takes a lot of roots to hold up a 100 foot tree! Besides keeping the tree from tipping over, the main job of the roots is to collect water and nutrients from the soil and to store them for times when there isn't as much available. CROWN: The crown is made up of the leaves and branches at the top of a tree. The crown shades the roots, collects energy from the sun (photosynthesis) and allows the tree to remove extra water to keep it cool (transpiration -- similar to sweating in animals). The crowns of trees come in many shapes and sizes! LEAVES Leaves are the part of the crown of a tree. They are the part of the tree that converts energy into food (sugar). Leaves are the food factories of a tree. They contain a very special substance called chlorophyll -- it is chlorophyll that gives leaves their green colour. Chlorophyll is an extremely important biomolecule, used in photosynthesis -- leaves use the sun s energy to convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water from the soil into sugar and oxygen. The sugar, which is the tree s food, is either used or stored in the branches, trunk and roots. The oxygen is released back into the atmosphere. BRANCHES The branches provide the support to distribute the leaves efficiently for the type of tree and the environment. They also serve as conduits for water and nutrients and as storage for extra sugar. TRUNK The trunk of the tree provides its shape and support and holds up the crown. The trunk transports water and nutrients from the soil and sugar from the leaves. Parts of the Trunk Inside the trunk of a tree are a number of rings. Each year of the tree's life a new ring is added so many people refer to them as the annual rings. The rings are actually made up of different parts:
The outside layer of the trunk, branches and twigs of trees. The bark serves as a protective layer for the more delicate inside wood of the tree. Trees actually have inner bark and outer bark -- the inner layer of bark is made up of living cells and the outer layer is made of dead cells, sort of like our fingernails. The scientific name for the inner layer of bark is Phloem. The main job of this inner layer is to carry sap full of sugar from the leaves to the rest of the tree. Because bark is a protective layer for the tree that keeps it safe from insects and animals, it isn't surprising that strong flavors, scents and toxins can often be found in the bark of different types of trees. The thin layer of living cells just inside the bark is called cambium. It is the part of the tree that makes new cells allowing the tree to grow wider each year. The scientific name for sapwood is xylem. It is made up of a network of living cells that bring water and nutrients up from the roots to the branches, twigs and leaves. It is the youngest wood of the tree -- over the years, the inner layers of sapwood die and become heartwood. The heartwood is dead sapwood in the center of the trunk. It is the hardest wood of the tree giving it support and strength. It is usually darker in colour than the sapwood. Pith is the tiny dark spot of spongy living cells right in the center of the tree trunk. Essential nutrients are carried up through the pith. It's placement right in the center means it is the most protected from damage by insects, the wind or animals.
6 TREES EVERY SCOUT SHOULD KNOW Being able to identify trees can not only be a source of pleasure, but also a matter of survival. If you become lost in the woods, trees are an abundant and easy-to-utilize resource, and can be used in a variety of ways, including as food, shelter, and materials for fire-starting and tool-making. Below we discuss how to identify six trees that are particularly useful in survival scenarios, and the different ways they can be employed to keep you alive. Keep in mind that because many trees drop their leaves in the fall, it s important to be able to identify them by both their leaves and buds, and their bark. WHITE BIRCH (PAPER BIRCH) White birch is easy to identify with its distinctive, white, papery bark. The sycamore tree also has white bark, but it does not sluff off in thin, paper-like furls like the white birch. The sycamore also has large
hand-shaped leaves versus the white birch s smaller, oval-shaped leaves with a pointed tip. The birch leaf is also irregularly toothed. These grow almost exclusively in northern climates. WHITE BIRCH SURVIVAL USES: Its sweet drinkable sap does not need purification. Containers can be fashioned from the bark (and even canoes hence the nickname canoe birch ). Its papery bark makes some of the finest fire-starting tinder on the planet, which will light even when damp because of its resinous quality. The tinder fungus (chaga a variety of mushroom that grows on the tree bark) grows almost exclusively on the white birch tree. The fungus is one of the only natural materials that will take the spark from flint and steel. A piece of tinder fungus along with flint and pyrite to create sparks were even found on Otzi, the iceman who was uncovered in the Austrian Alps several years ago. Pine tar can be extracted from the bark of the white birch by heating it over a fire. Pine tar makes an excellent natural adhesive that can be used for all kinds of purposes including securing stone points on arrows. WHITE BIRCH ID:
AMERICAN BASSWOOD The American basswood (also called American linden) is a very common tree especially in the eastern U.S. It prefers moist soil and is often found by creeks, streams, and ponds. It likes to grow several shoots from the base so it s not uncommon to see the basswood growing in what appears to be clumps. Basswood trees have large, heart-shaped, coarsely-toothed leaves and dark red young leaf buds. One of the most distinctive features of the basswood is the tongue. A tongue-shaped leaf (the small, light green leaf in the picture below) grows at the base of the regular heart-shaped leaves on mature trees. Small nut-like fruits dangle from the center of this tongue leaf throughout the summer.
BASSWOOD SURVIVAL USES: Delicious edible leaves especially in spring. Bass comes from the word bast, which is an old word for rope. It s also the name of a feline deity. The inner fibers from the basswood make some of the best natural cordage on the planet. Basswood is one of the best to start a fire by friction. Its inner bark layer is edible and can be scraped off with the edge of your knife. It has a very sweet flavor. WHITE PINE The leaves of the white pine grow in batches of five needles. Every fall the white pine loses all of its needles, except those that grew that year. Pine is an evergreen; evergreen trees keep some green leaves year-round, unlike deciduous trees, and have needle-like leaves. They also produce cones (pine cones) instead of flowers.
WHITE PINE SURVIVAL USES: Resin can be used as a fire extender when mixed with tinder material. Resin can be heated and mixed with crushed charcoal to make a natural epoxy. Resin-rich joints and stump pieces make incredible fire kindling. Make pine needle tea from the green pine needles very rich in Vitamin C. Inner bark layers are edible. Harvest pine nuts from the pine cones. Pine needles make excellent fire tinder. Pine needles make excellent natural insulation material for debris huts and survival shelters. Green pine boughs are perfect for lean-to shelter roofs. Green pine boughs are great for making a bed to protect from the cold ground or snow. The lower, dry, dead branches of the pine tree (squaw wood) is often some of the driest fire kindling available. Very effective candles and lamps can be made from pine resin. Pine resin can be used to waterproof seams in clothing or crude containers. WHITE OAK
White oaks have rounded leaf lobes instead of pointed ones like red oaks. Oaks are some of the largest trees in the forest; they can tower over 100 feet tall and easily 3-4 feet in diameter. WHITE OAK SURVIVAL USES: Acorns can be used as trap bait for squirrel and other small game animals. Oak is a very hard wood that is good for ax handles, digging sticks, and shelter frameworks. When dried, the white oak flowers make suitable tinder bundles and can be found in great abundance certain times of the year.
SUGAR MAPLE The sugar maple is one of the most abundant in the Eastern woodlands. Its beauty is on full display when the leaves change each fall into bursts of red, orange, and yellow. The leaves usually have five lobes, and the tips are pointed. Young maples have smooth silvery bark. The unmistakable winged helicopter seeds are a tell-tale maple tree indicator. The sugar maple is the source for maple syrup; this tree is preferred because its sap has high sugar content. It takes 40 gallons of sugar maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup. SUGAR MAPLE SURVIVAL USES: In late winter/early spring when the sap is running, the sugar maple is an excellent source of drinkable water (sap) that needs no purification. Maple sap is nature s version of an energy drink rich in sugar and nutrients The seeds inside the little helicopters are edible, just like edamame. Just boil them and lightly salt. They can also be fried or added to stews. Maple branches are well-suited for wilderness cooking. Whether it s a spit roast, a hot dog stick, or utensils, you can always find a maple branch suitable for the task. You can use the leaves to wrap fish or other small game animals when cooling in an earth oven. WILLOW TREE
There are many willow varieties, but every willow has a similar leaf shape. The leaves are narrow, lanceshaped, and grow in great numbers along the branches. Willows must be in moist areas to survive. If you ve found a willow, then there is a water source nearby. WILLOW SURVIVAL USES: Young willow branches and saplings are very flexible and can be used to weave a variety of different baskets and funnel traps. Willow wood is well-suited for friction fire sets both hand drill and bow drill. WILLOW TREE LEAVES